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First considerations
This site covers the production and
distribution of actual newspapers and free shoppers, tabloid-sized
or larger. Many newsletters
are also produced in tabloid size, for
reasons made clear below.
Actual page sizes are determined by the
printing service you use. Final dimensions may may be 11x17, 12.5x14 or some
other tabloid
size. You leave whatever margin the printer advises, usually about ½ or
¾ an inch. Even in most small cities, there are a couple of printers who
can handle the job. One is almost always the daily paper.
You can get printing quotes pretty easily, by asking the person in charge
of commercial printing. Check out of town, too. Printing cost is
important, and more money seldom means better quality in newspapers.
Find out who prints the papers in nearby towns, and then check with
those services.
Don’t go to regular print shops or quick-print shops for quotes on
tabloid papers. The really small printers can’t produce printing that
size. And the larger ones cannot compete with the web presses.
For the same money you would pay a small print shop for tiny fliers or
little newsletters, you can produce thousands of real tabloid-sized
(11x17 page size) or larger newspapers. Why try to cram everything onto
an 8.5x11 page when you can have a big 11x17 or bigger page? (And it
really counts if you end up selling ads.)
Yes, the Kind of Press Really Matters
The smaller print shops must use sheet-fed presses, a comparatively slow
and expensive process. The web presses do the job very fast and a lot
more economically. Once you pay the set-up cost, the numbers of copies
are inexpensive by comparison. On the other hand, the really big web
presses, such as the ones that do phone books, etc., will not be much
good to you.
Use a nice grade of newsprint, a bleached one. They go by all kinds of
brand names. Sometimes the printers also have other good options. But be
careful, since what is good for the printer (cost-wise) is not always
good for you. I shop a lot by price. I like to keep the printing cost of
each paper down to ten or 15 cents.
You must also decide whether or not you want to pay for a lot of color
ink. I often use just black ink, like any classic newspaper. Save the
color for special occasions, etc. But then I'm really cheap, too.
If you can get a good deal on color, go with it.
Remember, however, that content is king.
People will not read a paper that does
not interest them, no matter how expensive it is. Look at all the stuff
you throw away each week. But there is always merit in considering the image
and style of your paper.
Work to make your paper clean and
professional. Work even harder to make sure the content is
meaningful and useful to your readers. If you serve the people who read
your publication, your paper will succeed.
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